Dangers of Old Tyres | Hometyre Classic Car Tyre Changes at Home in Shropshire

Since the pandemic, the number of people converting vans into liveable spaces, bars or even workshops has exploded. For those looking to stand out, purchasing and restoring a vintage or classic van has become an industry into itself. From the well known VW Buss to the Ford Econoline, it's amazing to see the number of restorations happening to these.

But, there is a dark side; tyres. Pun intended.

As most people don't particularly care about tyres, they seem to be the only part of the restoration that's glossed over. I mean, if it's round and goes on the road, it's OK. Surely?

Well, like all other rubber components, tyres start to degrade over time. Especially if the vehicle has been sitting for a long period of time, the sun and weather elements batter these poor rubber circles expediting the perishing.

We recently attended a Citroën H-Van on the outskirts of Shrewsbury which was from 1977. It even had its original tyres on!

How can you identify the age of your tyres?

For tyres after the year 2000, there will be a symbol on the sidewall like below;

Four numbers in a circle. The first two numbers being the production week and the last two being the year. In this instance, the tyre is from the 33rd week of 2021.

Where it gets complicated is tyres pre-2000. From the years 1990 – 2000, you will find tyres that have three numbers in a circle followed by a triangle. Again, the first two numbers are for the production week whilst the last number is the year. 146, for example, would be the 14^th week of 1996.

Tyres pre 1990, it's a little messy. These codes were introduced in 1971 so anything before has to be researched for the production years then correlated to the production years of the vehicle.

As mentioned above, the Citreon H-Van had it's original tyres on. These tyres didn't carry a date code so must be pre 1971, possibly late 1960s!

Tyres that are starting to age will show signs of perishing and cracks either in the sidewall and/or the tread. So, if you've got a classic car in for restoration or hidden away in the garage, double check the age of the tyres! The tread may look brand new but check for signs of perishing. This is the same situation that this van encountered. Although there is still plenty of tread life left in the tyre, the metal cords of the tyre had started to rust and resulted in a blow out.

The original size of 19R400 has been discontinued but, there are modern sizes available! 

If you're still unsure or need any help, give us a call on 0333 444 5454 or send us an email; info@hometyre.co.uk where one of our friendly team will help!